{"product_id":"2025-kumeu-river-rays-road-chardonnay","title":"2025 Kumeu River Ray's Road Chardonnay","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eKumeu River's most mineral and saline Chardonnay, and it comes not from Kumeu at all. Ray's Road is their Hawke's Bay limestone hillside project, dry-farmed at 180 metres with a northerly aspect, producing a wine in a noticeably different register to the estate. More citrus-driven, more saline, with a fennel and flinty freshness that pushes straight through the palate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 2025 vintage was a remarkably dry season in Hawke's Bay. A brief burst of rain at the start of the table wine harvest was essentially all they got, with dry conditions carrying through to mid-March. The fruit came in clean and concentrated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHandpicked and whole-bunch pressed, wild fermented in older French oak, 100% through malo, eleven months in barrel. The approach is hands-off throughout, letting the limestone do what limestone does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePeach, green melon, lime, cedar and fennel on the nose, then bright and juicy on the palate with a savoury, saline pull and a long, tangy finish. Bolder than the estate Chardonnays, but that's the point of this wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e94 points\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It has some peachy flavour, but pulls savoury and saline, bright and juicy acidity, sourdough in the mix, with a tangy finish of excellent length. A very good wine\"\u003cbr\u003e- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e","brand":"Kumeu River","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45062607503403,"sku":"2025 Kumeu River Ray's Road Chardonnay","price":49.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2572\/9722\/files\/2025KumeuRiverRay_sRoadChardonnay.png?v=1787805810","url":"https:\/\/www.differentdrop.com\/products\/2025-kumeu-river-rays-road-chardonnay","provider":"Different Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}